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How to Build a Home Karaoke System
srnitynow
Posts: 14
Joined: Sat Aug 15, 2009 2:59 pm

Post by srnitynow »

I'm not trying to convince anyone to use any type of hosting program. Just answering the question posted. Not putting down ANY other hosting program, just giving my opinion on the hosting program "I" use. I'm sure that ALL programs have SOMTHING that might not appeal to everyone, but that's why people choose different programs, (different strokes for different folks). I believe in EVERYONE making up their own mind.

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soundtech
Posts: 31
Joined: Tue Feb 17, 2009 5:07 pm
Location: canada

Post by soundtech »

i just uploaded the newest verison of the compuhost and the changes are alot better history is alot easyer and no laging or waiting i just started doing thursday nights and the owners love the program thats why they hired me .

the only thing i would like to see is the doggle gone but that will never happen i have locked inside my computer just in case someone steals it you just never now
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mwadeson
Posts: 106
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:50 pm

Post by mwadeson »

i use swift elite 4 and i like it it does have a dongle which i understand could get lost but it sits on the key ring for the trailer so if i don't have i don't have anything i like that i can have more than one computer my thursday night show i have a desktop setup their that stays their. i just have to plug in the dongle and go.
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DJ Robby K
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:32 pm
Location: Northern Wisconsin USA

Post by DJ Robby K »

I use freeware called Karaoke Builder Player to play Karaoke songs. Then I use Winamp to play deejay/dance songs. I have 2 folders in My Documents. One folder is Deejay Music and the other is Karaoke Music. I have a My Documents folder icon (shortcut) on my desktop. To find any songs quickly, here is what I do. At the beginning of my Karaoke show, I put my mouse arrow over the My Documents icon that is on my Desktop. I right-click and a menu opens. I then left-click Search. That brings up a computer search engine. Look for a little cartoon dog on the bottom left side of your Search window. If he is not there, click on the words "Search Companion" and that will change the style of that Search engine. The dog is the Search Companion and this style of Serach works best.Next, you will see two or three blank areas where you can type in your song to search. Always choose the one that is labeled "Seach all Files and Folders". Now, let's say that I want to play "I Love Rock and Roll" by Joan Jett. Instead of typing all those words, I use keywords such as "Jett Rock" which will bring up that song because Joan uses the significant spelling of two T's in her last name. Whereas, if I typed in the word "Jet", I might get "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" by Jet...OR the song "Jet" by Paul McCartney.
Part II of my method is....you have to be able to see the difference bertween a Karaoke song file and a Deejay song file among your computer's song files. If I pull up that Joan Jett song...and I have it as both a deejay AND Karaoke song, both of them ARE going to appear as search results. But in MY set-up, almost all of my Karaoke songs are MP3+G files, so a single Karaoke song will appear in my search engine as two identical files of equal-word length. But really, it's not difficult to tell the difference between a Karaoke song file (in two parts) or a Deejay song file. The beauty is, my computer recognizes whichever file I click on.... so if I click to play the Karaoke Joan Jett song, it will load up in my other PC screen (for the singer) and get played by the Karaoke Builder Player program. If I click on the deejay song, then Winamp will play it. Simple and darn-near child-proof! I have NO need to Sax n D or any other complicated program. Makes me wonder if I am one of very few KJ's who runs a show this way. Hmm!
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DanG2006
Posts: 1498
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2006 8:37 pm
Location: USA

Post by DanG2006 »

How do you get the second screen without the singers seeing what you are doing and how can you line up the next song ahead of time to play. What you are doing is no better than running a disc based show - the difference is that you don't have to carry your discs. A "real" Hosting software lets you set up a rotation ahead of time. If you're so cheap why not get AutoKDJ? it's freeware and works with winamp another free program. Better yet spend $50 and you can get a hosting program that will play filler and karaoke, and a songlist program to do your books. You buy both separately so if you only need the player it's $25. The program is called JustKaraoke.
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wiseguy
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Posts: 1906
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2004 5:05 pm
Location: WV

Post by wiseguy »

DJ Robby K wrote:I use freeware called Karaoke Builder Player to play Karaoke songs. Then I use Winamp to play deejay/dance songs.
:lol: You have to be kidding us. This is about as unprofessional as you can get. No extended desktop, no singer rotation, no singer history, no key control, using Windows search as a song search. This player isn't even suitable for home use. I would be embarrassed to show up at a bar with it.

And using Winamp to DJ? How are you beat mixing and crossfading, just for beginners? Just playing music is not being a DJ.
DJ Robby K wrote:Makes me wonder if I am one of very few KJ's who runs a show this way. Hmm!
I certainly hope so.
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DJ Robby K
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:32 pm
Location: Northern Wisconsin USA

Post by DJ Robby K »

Dan....I can "smell" sarcasm in your letter. I was not trying to "brag" about my system. I was simply pointing out "another way". You asked: How do you get the second screen without the singers seeing what you are doing and how can you line up the next song ahead of time to play?
When I first start my Karaoke show each night, I have my "operator's creen" in front of me and then a separate monitor to my right side (4 feet away) that the singers use. On my screen, as I am getting ready to start my show, I click on the Karaoke Builder Player. When it first activates, it goes full-ssize and fill up/blacks out my operator's screen. I right click the black screen to reduce that program in size, then I put my mouse arrow over that black screen and, while hold down a left-click, I "slide" that Karaoke Builder Player screen over to the other screen that is for my Karaoke singers...and it stays there. Then I resize the Karaoke Player to Full-Size and it fills the screen.When I type a Karaoke song into my Search Engine, I find it, click it on, and it boots up in my Karaoke screen. Easy.
As for me not using Just Karaoke, when I first started, that program was not on the market. Plus, programs like Tricera-Soft or MTU seemed so complicated, beyond what I really needed. So, I sort of "invented" my own way of doing things and never looked back.
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DJ Robby K
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:32 pm
Location: Northern Wisconsin USA

Post by DJ Robby K »

Wiseguy...Where I come from, "just playing music" using a deejay system IS referred to as being a Deejay. I mean, what other term do you use to define the role of a person who plays pre-recorded music to a live crowd??? There are 5 other "deejays" in my area who do the same thing who are ALSO called Deejay's. I have a great job doing what I do. And you said I should embarrassed? No way! I make a LOT of people happy!
Now, I want to add...I respect deejay's who get into creating beats and etc. But what I do now works best for the shows that I play. I run a kick-a$$ show and people have an awesome time. My only "embarrassing moment" is if something should happen that causes my PC to freeze up, whihc is not often
You know...it's sad. I am new to this forum and the first 2 people who responded to me decided to be "crass" about it. I enjoy being part of a Forum with a cool and respectful vibe. If this place turns out to be an Ego Palace, then I am not interested. If I want drama, I will watch a stupid "reality show". Whateva!
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wiseguy
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Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2004 5:05 pm
Location: WV

Post by wiseguy »

Wiseguy...Where I come from, "just playing music" using a deejay system IS referred to as being a Deejay. I mean, what other term do you use to define the role of a person who plays pre-recorded music to a live crowd???
The term I would use is "a person who plays pre-recorded music to a live crowd". You're not a professional DJ unless you perform like one. If you are being paid to DJ you owe it to your clients to do it correctly.

You need to keep in mind that you are conversing with "professional" DJs and KJs here. We are not people who decided to take our home karaoke out to the bars, which is what you come across as being. We use top of the line hardware and software. We have spent years perfecting what we do. We will most often take exception when someone makes suggestions on exactly the wrong thing to do.

In this forum you are going to read exactly what people think. If you are to sensitive to handle it then maybe this isn't the place for you.
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DanG2006
Posts: 1498
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2006 8:37 pm
Location: USA

Post by DanG2006 »

DJ Robby K wrote:Dan....I can "smell" sarcasm in your letter. I was not trying to "brag" about my system. I was simply pointing out "another way". You asked: How do you get the second screen without the singers seeing what you are doing and how can you line up the next song ahead of time to play?
When I first start my Karaoke show each night, I have my "operator's creen" in front of me and then a separate monitor to my right side (4 feet away) that the singers use. On my screen, as I am getting ready to start my show, I click on the Karaoke Builder Player. When it first activates, it goes full-ssize and fill up/blacks out my operator's screen. I right click the black screen to reduce that program in size, then I put my mouse arrow over that black screen and, while hold down a left-click, I "slide" that Karaoke Builder Player screen over to the other screen that is for my Karaoke singers...and it stays there. Then I resize the Karaoke Player to Full-Size and it fills the screen.When I type a Karaoke song into my Search Engine, I find it, click it on, and it boots up in my Karaoke screen. Easy.
As for me not using Just Karaoke, when I first started, that program was not on the market. Plus, programs like Tricera-Soft or MTU seemed so complicated, beyond what I really needed. So, I sort of "invented" my own way of doing things and never looked back.
JustKaraoke is as simple as winamp. Makes your show easier to run as well. There was no intent of sarcasm in my post. It is what I feel to be the truth. You want sarcasm, I would give you more respect if you were using Straight winamp, which you could by the way, or Karafun. I am just trying to give you a more professional way of running your shows. You probably pick and and choose what songs you will play even if it's in your book. Your way is so unprofessional that I know that any of my crowd after attending one of my shows before attending yours would probably laugh you out of your bar.
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Bigdog
Posts: 2937
Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:15 am

Post by Bigdog »

DJ Robby K wrote:Dan....I can "smell" sarcasm in your letter. I was not trying to "brag" about my system. I was simply pointing out "another way". You asked: How do you get the second screen without the singers seeing what you are doing and how can you line up the next song ahead of time to play?
When I first start my Karaoke show each night, I have my "operator's creen" in front of me and then a separate monitor to my right side (4 feet away) that the singers use. On my screen, as I am getting ready to start my show, I click on the Karaoke Builder Player. When it first activates, it goes full-ssize and fill up/blacks out my operator's screen. I right click the black screen to reduce that program in size, then I put my mouse arrow over that black screen and, while hold down a left-click, I "slide" that Karaoke Builder Player screen over to the other screen that is for my Karaoke singers...and it stays there. Then I resize the Karaoke Player to Full-Size and it fills the screen.When I type a Karaoke song into my Search Engine, I find it, click it on, and it boots up in my Karaoke screen. Easy.
As for me not using Just Karaoke, when I first started, that program was not on the market. Plus, programs like Tricera-Soft or MTU seemed so complicated, beyond what I really needed. So, I sort of "invented" my own way of doing things and never looked back.

With a hosting program all the time wasted resizing and screen dragging is totally unnecessary. Everytime you start the program all this is done automatically because you have it pre set once and then you forget it.
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DJ Robby K
Posts: 8
Joined: Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:32 pm
Location: Northern Wisconsin USA

Post by DJ Robby K »

Let me set the record straight. If you go to Google Search and you type in Professional DJ, the typical services that they offer is the same that I offer. I run a laptop computer via Windows XP and then a separate 17" monitor for the singers. I use AKG UHF Pro Flexx wireless mics. I also have a couple of custom-built Desktop Karaoke PC's to choose from. I work 2-3 nights per week. There is a good chance that I make MORE money than many of you because I know how to give a great show and treat people well. Just because I have a method of running my show that seems so "inferior" to all of you so-called Pro's does not make me any less of a deejay. I wonder how many of YOU receive comments EVERY one of your shows such as "You're Awesome" and "WE Love You" and "You're the best deejay in town".
And why do I hear this over and over??? Because, regardless of what software I use, the main goal is to please your paying customer by being nice to them and giving them the music they ask for.
So what...if I do not use Just Karaoke! And Dan? You said: "Your way is so unprofessional that I know that any of my crowd after attending one of my shows before attending yours would probably laugh you out of your bar". My take? Your crowd might like me BETTER than they like you. What sells me? I have a style! Do you? Or is it all about your software?
You arrogant people diss me over software. How immature! I am glad I learned about the vibe here BEFORE I invested any of my time and wisdom.
You A-holes got your wish...cuz I won't be back. Go ahead and have your ego-bassed software competitions. Meanwhile, I will be out there making loads of money while you saps are wasting your time mocking me. Remember..in the end, two things rules. How much people loved ya...and how much money you made. In the end, I walk away, the winner!
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DanG2006
Posts: 1498
Joined: Sun Jan 01, 2006 8:37 pm
Location: USA

Post by DanG2006 »

I get "you're the best KJ in town" all the time. My hallmark is that I am the FAIREST KJ in town, meaning I am the only one not taking bribes or bumping people ahead of others just cause they got a great body etc. People who come to my shows for the first time come back because I treat everyone like they belong there. It's not just cause I run fancy software. I actually run Compuhost but am leaning to go back to JustKaraoke because they finally added a filler player which I finally figured out how to get it to work on my computers.
I wonder how you keep organized with your shows and keep the pace going. I keep my show going by having the next singer's song ready to go before the present singer is done singing allowing for a faster running show. The only person keeping it from getting faster is the singers themselves with the time it takes to get them up after calling them up. The ticker on Compuhost is worthless in my area because no one pays attention to it. I could skip a singer and they not notice it, not that I would ever do that.
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wiseguy
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Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2004 5:05 pm
Location: WV

Post by wiseguy »

DJ Robby K you are delusional. You use the title of DJ in your moniker but know nothing about the proper way to DJ. You perform karaoke with software that most home users would find lacking.

To think that you can even come close to the earning potential of the professional KJs here is laughable. We have not been successful in this business for so many years (16+ for Bigdog and myself) without people liking us.

And we've seen the wisdom you have to offer, and frankly, I think the readers would be better off not knowing how to run their karaoke as cheaply as possible.

Now head on over to the Sunnybrook Farm karaoke forum where people will stroke your fragile ego and tell you that "you're just the best DJ in the whole wide world and we love you more than life itself". :lol:
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mwadeson
Posts: 106
Joined: Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:50 pm

Post by mwadeson »

dj robby you need to understand that we all have our ways we all have our favorite programs. and it does matter where you are playing i have mixed beats but around here the crowd doesn't go for it much maybe a little at the end of the night. but i do have to agree it sounds like your way of doing it sounds like alot more work than is needed
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